Virginia vs. Wisconsin: 2018-19 College basketball game preview, TV schedule
Virginia and Wisconsin plays in the Battle 4 Atlantis finals on Friday. Can the Badgers pull off the upset of a top-5 national team?
TV schedule: Friday, November 23, 2:00 pm ET. ESPN
Arena: Imperial Arena in Nassau, Bahamas
While all of the conversation has been on the Duke Blue Devils being the best team in the country before losing to Gonzaga in the Maui Invitational, an argument could’ve been made previously that they weren’t even the best ACC team to start the season.
The Virginia Cavaliers (5-0) have looked every bit of the No. 4 ranked team in the country, taking care of business to start the season. After handling Middle Tennessee in the quarterfinals in the Battle 4 Atlantis, Virginia faced their toughest test of the season in Dayton. The Flyers played the Cavaliers tough throughout and kept within distance for much of the game.
But sophomore DeAndre Hunter and his 23 points became too much at the end for the 66-59 victory. Ty Jerome and Kyle combined for 29 in the game as the other double-digit scorers. And even though Virginia gave up an uncharacteristic 54.3% from the field, the 14 forced turnovers in a limited-possession game gave the Cavaliers the edge.
Their opponents are Wisconsin (5-0), a team who after struggling last season with injuries have looked back to normal. A giant part of that has been the return of D’Mitrik Trice, who missed most of last year with an injury. He’s averaging over 20 ppg, including a game-high 25 points in the Badgers‘ 20-point win over Oklahoma yesterday. Star forward Ethan Happ had 14 points, 12 rebounds and five assists while Kobe King dropped 14 off the bench.
For those who like offense, this game won’t be the most exciting for you, as both teams prefer a slower-tempo while relying on their top-notch defenses to carry the team. Wisconsin’s Happ and UVA’s Hunter are the key scouting report players but how the perimeters operate will be key to both team’s chances in winning the game. With the total number of possessions expected to be very low, turnovers and three-pointers will be huge in deciding who comes out with the win.
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This is an early battle for next week’s Big Ten/ACC Challenge, with both conferences looking strong in the first couple of weeks. It would be a huge statement for the Badgers to get the upset but I expect the Cavaliers to pull off the win at the end.